How Hula Dancers Connect Hawaii’s Past and Present | If Cities Could Dance

Honolulu is home to tourism hotspot Waikiki, and many of the city’s beachfront hotels host lavish luaus showcasing styles of hula influenced by Western music and instrumentation. But for Native Hawaiians, the origins of hula are deeply spiritual and rooted in Hawaii’s creation stories and the history and culture of their kūpuna or ancestors. Driven by the mele (poetry), hula marries movement with spoken word to express stories about specific deities, people, places, and events.

Extension Project: Give your middle and high school students the opportunity to create and publish original dance videos with an accompanying artist statement with the First Person Youth Media Challenge Project.